


Love in Space

by gingcrow



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:26:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29399037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingcrow/pseuds/gingcrow
Summary: You've admired Dib Membrane for years albeit his intelligence, he could be quite oblivious when it came to romance. However, what will happen if Zim starts showing an interest in you?
Relationships: Dib (Invader Zim)/Reader, Zim (Invader Zim)/Reader
Comments: 7
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

Your family has known the Membranes for several decades. One could say your families are so well acquainted with one another that they've grown quite an unbreakable bond over the years. Of course this meant you were no strangers with Professor Membrane's offspring: Dib and Gaz Membrane. 

It wasn't very difficult for you to befriend the two as you were a very kind and outgoing person. It did take a while for Gaz to warm up to you however but you were good friends now nonetheless. Dib, on the other hand, was quite indifferent and neutral about your existence. He was always too busy with his obsession with the paranormal that he barely notices you whenever you came to visit.

You could be dancing on their dining room table and he wouldn't bat an eye. The dark haired boy always had his head buried in a book or a gadget he has invented or a camera he claims will get him the evidence that'll prove his genius. 

His fixation with the paranormal added to his charm. You found his dedication adorable to say the least. It didn't take long for you to attempt to find interest in his strange and peculiar hobbies. 

It was the only way he would ever notice you and much to your delight he did! He was amazed and awestruck with your knowledge of the unknown and bombarded you with questions like: "How come you never told me you were into this kind of stuff?!", "I like your perspective, [Name]!", "What do you think about this? A little too far fetched?"

You hoped your reply was as casual as you thought it sounded: "You never asked, you were always so busy." You giggled at his enthusiasm. 

Professor Membrane appreciated the friendship you've managed to forge with his children. Although he didn't quite approve of your new interest in the paranormal. Nonetheless, he was glad Dib had a new friend and he was happy. 

The scientist would occasionally ask for your assistance with a prototype and would tell you how you were like another daughter for him. He spoke about how his children weren't interested in "real" Science. 

You didn't think Professor Membrane was the perceptive type, seeing how he quickly dismisses Dib's claim of his new classmate being an alien. Anybody with a brain and two eyes can clearly see Zim's green skin and lack of ears. Alas, it seems the entire population is unbelievably oblvious, not to mention stupid. 

It seems, however, that your small crush on Dib didn't go unnoticed. 

You sighed as Dib left the lab after informing you to meet him in his room after you were done helping his dad.

"Don't worry, [Name], I'm sure Dib will come around," The scientist patted your head and looked down at you. "He'll grow out of this sooner or later."

Dib's interest didn't bother you, you only wished he would pay more attention to you. You didn't think much of what the professor said but his next words nearly gave you a cardiac arrest.

"He'll realize he likes you too and it'll be wedding bells before you know it!" 

You let out a shrill cry and shook your head, "What do you mean professor?" you asked, heart pounding, he didn't say what you thought he said right?

"[Name] your affection towards my son is as clear as daylight!" He patted your head once again. "Why else would a young aspiring scientist like you become interested in the paranormal?"

You weren't going to lie, he had you there. You thought ghosts and vampires were a load of bologna. Of course, you'd never say this out loud. You didn't want to severe the single tie you had with Dib.

He was right about one thing. Your new classmate is definitely an alien and it was up to the both of you to expose him. And if you were successful in doing so, maybe Dib might finally "come around."


	2. Chapter 2

"[Name]! Wait up!" You paused when you heard the familiar voice that belonged to the person you've grown quite fond of. "Geez, you walk too fast." He chuckled, giving you a little wave as he held open the school's main entrance for you.

You saw Gaz not too far behind, all her attention set on the device in her hands, typical Gaz behavior right there. You still wondered how she hasn't ever bumped nor tripped on anything when she did this. 

"Maybe it's because you're a slow poke." You pointed out, giggling at your own remark. Dib gasped, dramatically, and put a hand on his chest as if you shot him with one of Zim's advance lazer gun thingies—the weapons you always retrieved from Zim's lair always end up being smashed to bits, barely making it to Dib's room in one piece, thus you both haven't the slightest clue how Zim's weapons were made. It's like how Dib is as dense as always when you express your feelings for him. Even your entire class knows about this, although they assumed you've been dating Dib since forever—you wish!

"I can't believe my own best friend, my partner in crime, my [Name] has said such things!" You blushed when he said "my [Name]." Your heart shattered at "best friend" but quickly came back together at the last phrase, "My [Name]." It repeated over and over in your head until you both finally reached your classroom. 

You didn't notice it at first but you soon did when you bumped into the crowd that seemed to have formed around a specific seat— Zim's. You were about to tug at Dib's sleeve when he was already holding onto your shoulder.

"Did they finally find out?" He whispered, pushing some of your classmates aside. "AHA! FINALLY YOU'VE— WHAT?!" You heard his shrill scream of astonishment and perplexity. 

You quickly followed him into the crowd and looked over his shoulder, your jaw dropping at the sight of Zim, was it even him? 

"Zi-zim?!" You blurted out, eyeing the boy who once had green skin and no ears. 

"Looks like puberty hit someone hard."

"Dang, I never noticed how good looking Zim is."

"Dude, what's your secret?" 

It was as if everyone was hypnotized as they exchanged envious and yet positive remarks about Zim's "new" look. Dib wasn't having any of it and slammed his hands on the alien's desk. Zim, on the other hand, looked up at him, unfazed. 

"Calm down Dib, it's not like he's plotting to steal [Name] away from you," One of your male classmates said, rolling his eyes at your companion. "And if he was, we all know you've already lost," He chuckled, glancing towards the door and squeaking out, "Ms. Bitters is here!"

Everyone immediately went back to their sits, when the dust finally settled, nothing was out of place. You and your class have perfected the art of making everything look like nothing happened. You could all have been involved in a murder and no one would have suspected because of how well you've learned to cover your tracks. This all came to be when the classroom was left in a state of disarray after a brawl between Dib and ZiM. 

Both of them lost. They were both equally injured and severely punished with a whole month worth of detention—you weren't exaggerating. You insisted on waiting for Dib outside of the room but he always dismissed you and told you to go home or stay at his house if you had a project to do together or when you simply wanted to hang out and talk. 

After the usual morning routine and the classic Ms. Bitters "greeting," you proceeded with class as usual.

You were in your first year of highschool now, new topics and more responsibilities. It didn't hinder your little adventures with Dib however, you were one of the "gifted" students which gave you quite the unshakeable reputation despite being friends with Dib and Gaz. Dib is a genius, you knew that but he focuses too much on his paranormal and investigations and exposing ZiM that he often neglects his schoolwork. Despite not trying very hard in classes, he still gets decent grades much to your relief.

You furrowed your eyebrows when you heard something to your right, it was Dib, he sat next to you in class and it seemed like he was pointing at Zim. You shrugged, just as baffled as he is. Both of you were probably too preoccupied with hatching a plot that will finally reveal Zim's true nature to the whole world to realize Zim was probably doing the same thing, but with other things in mind.


	3. Chapter 3

To say that Dib was frustrated won't even begin to cover it, the boy has been angrily stabbing at his lunch for the past minute, ranting about how Zim managed to improve his disguise. 

"Dib, calm down please," You said, putting a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. Not that you cared about the attention you were receiving from his annoyed rambling but you knew it won't help contribute anything to your original plan: exposing Zim for the extraterrestrial being that he is. "We'll figure this out."

You didn't exactly know what you will figure out but anyone would say the same thing if they wanted their friend to calm down right? What were you planning to do now that Zim's supposedly improved disguise will help him blend in more with the crowd? 

"Sorry, I was just—" He let out an exasperated sigh before looking at you, relaxing at your gaze. "It's just that we spent all summer devising a plan to finally bring him down and this happens— we worked so hard, you worked so hard," He said, glancing down on this food, "I don't want all your efforts to go to waste, [Name]." He muttered. 

You let out an inaudible sound of joy at his words, you won't mind if your plan that took you all summer to prepare would go to waste because you spent the entirety of it with him! 

"Thank you, Dib, but I'd rather you stay calm and stop showing him that he's getting to you, alright?" You smiled, returning to your food and glancing at the clock. It was nearly time for your next period.

Gaz has already finished her meal and was playing with the gadget in her hands. Beeps and clicks can be heard as she paid no attention to the both of you, already used to your plots and antics—and her brother's lack of awareness when it came to crushes, mainly to when his own best friend is crushing on him.

Swallowing your last bite, you nearly choked when you heard the obnoxiously loud voice of the bane of your and Dib's existence: ZiM. He was standing on the table, looking down at the both of you, a grin on his face. You had to admit, his new disguise was impressive, from the dark ebony hair that was styled in a slight upward manner to his piercing grey eyes, and he had a wardrobe change too to go with it. No doubt, he appeared quite appealing. 

"What do you want now?" Dib scowled up at him, slightly sliding closer to your side as if Zim really was planning to take you away from him. He can't have his partner in crime be abducted just like that, what kind of a best friend will he be if he ever allowed that to happen? "If you have nothing useful to say, leave us alone."

It was difficult to distinguish at first but when it was settled, you felt the atmosphere change. The two boys glared at each other in a silent battle which was more of an intense staring contest. You had no clue why but your heart raced at the sight of this, you couldn't tell whether you were apprehensive or if was because of something else. All you knew is that your mouth opened for you to inform them about your next class when Zim beat you to it—

"I want nothing with you Dib worm, I'm here for [Name]," He said, sounding irritated as if it was the most obvious thing on the planet. 

Dib stood up, as if attempting to shield you from ZiM, whatever it was he was trying to do to you. "You're not laying a single finger on her, alien." He snarled, putting an arm in front of you.

You didn't know what to say but now that you have realized what was going on, you were utterly curious about what the Irken wanted with you. You were thinking about whether he was asking you whether you wanted to be his lab rat or not or maybe, he wanted to brainwash you and make you turn on Dib or he had something in mind that neither Dib nor you wanted to hear nor know about. 

Finally deciding to interject, you spoke up, "Zim, if you do have something important to tell us, we don't care and we'll be leaving now-" You said, pulling on Dib as you stood up and saw Gaz leaving for your next class.   
"I wanted to make a proposal!" Zim's voice rang through the cafeteria, catching everyone's attention. He approached you while pushing Dib away in the process earning an infuriated "Hey!" from him.  
Zim cleared his throat and grabbed your hand rather forcefully, causing you to wince and pull away but he quickly held on but gently this time.  
"[Name], please go out with me."

It was as if time stopped when he asked you this question.   
Actually, it felt like the whole world went "What in flipping heck?!" when he said this.   
Nothing but the clock's ticking can be heard— showing how many seconds were left before the school bell rang, when it did, it forced everyone to snap out of their shocked and surprised states to go to their classes, some remained to see what will go down.  
You, however, stayed completely still as you gazed into Zim's grey eyes, sharp and calculating your every move. You didn't know if you should pull your hand away, slap him, dropkick him or hit him with a chair— all you knew was that Dib was definitely not happy about it. Not a single bit.

"WHAT?!"


	4. Chapter 4

"Have you lost your mind?" The frustration in Dib's voice was evident, his arms spread open to further exaggerate the disbelief and betrayal in his eyes. "You'll think about it?" He spat and paced back and forth in front of you, nearly tripping over the coffee table. He was repeating your response to Zim's proposal earlier in the cafeteria.

It was the end of the day and your parents allowed you to spend the night with the Membranes unsurprisingly. Professor Membrane was still busy preparing dinner with Foodio 3000 while you, Dib and Gaz waited in their living room, although Gaz chose to wait in her room. She didn't want to hear your "lovers' quarrel" to which you shot her a glare. 

"Dib, I don't know why you're making it such a big deal," You said, attempting to shrug off the matter. It wasn't anything serious, you didn't want to seem like an apathetic jerk for immediately turning down Zim's offer. He was considered one of the outcasts back in elementary and people might think you'd turn him down because of it. 

You opened your mouth to speak but stopped, noticing the look Dib was giving you. The boy's expression was difficult to read but a chill ran up your spine for a reason you couldn't quite place. Was it jealousy? A part of you was flattered by the thought of it but that couldn't be it, could it?

"[ Name ]."

You froze at the sound of his voice. He was using the tone he usually used for when an experiment doesn't go as planned. He also dragged out your name as if to put a heavy emphasis on how irritated he was. 

"Hm?" You hummed, in an attempt to lighten the mood. As much as you loved your times alone with Dib, this not a very pleasant time to be alone with him.

He sighed, long and drawn out, exhausted. "Why didn't you turn him down right away? What were you thinking?"

You realized this conversation was going in circles, you knew Dib had your best intentions in mind, being a good friend who only cared for the your well being. However, that word stung. He only saw you as a friend, it was a surprise he saw you at all but you weren't content with that and it frustrated you. 

"Dib," You said his name firmly, a serious look in your eyes.

Now it was his turn to pause, taken aback by your sudden shift. Your movements held him in a trance, the way you say his name somehow always sent a fluttering feeling inside his chest and he didn't know why. And it didn't matter how you said sounded when you said his name, your voice was a beautiful melody to his ears. 

You shook your head at him, "I only said it because this could help us extract information from him," you said. Although a part of you knew it was because you wanted to see how Dib would react, his best friend in a romantic relationship with his enemy, even if it was experimental. "Maybe, this could help us expose him too." You added, shifting in your seat, rubbing your arm, suddenly getting awkward from the eye contact. 

"I see," Dib looked down, rest his chin on his index finger and thumb, he was thinking. "You're quite right, [ Name ], I'm sorry I doubted you." He admitted, his cheeks slightly growing red. You were being loyal to your plan of exposing Zim and there he was, accusing you of betraying him and your friendship. 

You opened your mouth to reasure him that's it alright but was interrupted by a familiar deep and booming voice, "My children, dinner is ready!" It was true Professor Membrane saw you as one of his children, partly to tease you knowing that you'd be his daughter-in-law in the future. You hoped that would be the case. And Zim's little proposal might help you get closer to your goal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was slightly rushed, it's been hectic lately and whatnot but thank you so much for reading!! I hope you're all doing alright!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thought I'd write this for fun, I've recently gotten into Invader Zim and thought why not write a fanfic about it? Also, thank you so much for readng!! Stay safe and take care of yourselves ♡


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